First 1-pound coins featuring King Charles III entered circulation, according to the Royal Mint, the UK’s official maker of British coins, almost three million coins have been issued to post offices and banks across the country.
The new coin design marks the King’s new reign and celebrates his love of nature, featuring a pair of bees on the reverse side, the bees are one of eight new designs that will appear on the nation’s coins, from the 1p to the £2.
The tail side of every coin will feature the UK’s flora and fauna, animals ranging from the red squirrel to the capercaillie grouse, as part of an effort to show the importance of the natural world.
Each coin has been created with the support of the Royal Horticultural Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Even as the King becomes a familiar sight on coins, those featuring Queen Elizabeth II will remain in circulation.
New sets of coins are made in response to demand, and the size and shape of the coins will remain unchanged, becaus
e of the widespread use of coins in vending machines, supermarket self-checkouts, and parking meters.
The previous set featured a shield formation, which was introduced under Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 and will still dominate the 29 billion coins in circulation in the UK for some time yet.
Source: Kuwait News Agency